280 km from Nairobi (approximately a 6-hour drive)
Flight from Nairobi, landing in the Maasai Mara route, about 50 minutes
Maasai Mara is a reserve located in the Southwest of Kenya on the border with Tanzania.
The name of the reserve comes from the Maasai tribe that lives in the reserve, and from the Mara River that crosses it and provides water for the animals.
The park’s area: 1510 square kilometers
History: The reserve was established as a shelter for wild animals in 1948 and its size was 515 square kilometers. In 1961, the park was expanded to 1820 square kilometers and became a nature reserve. Later on, part of the park was declared a national nature reserve and over the years parts of the park have been returned to the authorities until it reached its present size.
Maasai Mara has been awarded the ‘Best Safari in Africa’ award for the last 6 years. DAILY NATION
The trip to Maasai Mara is an indescribable experience. It is exciting, unifying for your group or family, and a fascinating experience that will leave within you an imprint of love of nature, its treasures, and the savage savanna areas in the safari of Kenya.
This is one of the largest safari parks in Kenya, not indeed the largest in Kenya, but certainly the most famous and most beloved in Africa. All this is due to the special animals in the reserve, including cheetahs, giraffes, blue gnus, deer, and, of course, the five big animals that characterize Africa’s landscapes, the “BIG FIVE”: Lions, elephants, African buffalos, leopard, and rhinoceroses. In addition, more than 95 species of animals and 550 different species of birds live in the park.
In the heart of the wild safari, you can meet the Maasai tribe. The rich with culture tribe maintains to a great extent its traditional ways of life. The tribe members, known as the “Maasai” still dress in red clothes and are adorned with many jewels as in the past.
The tribe’s source of livelihood is raising sheep and cattle, making handicrafts and selling them to tourists, and hunting animals in the safari. Despite the strict ban on hunting animals in Africa and the enforcement of these prohibitions, the government of Kenya, as the owners of the park, allows the Maasai to hunt for their livelihood.
The tribe’s members walk between the animals without any fear and without any weapons of protection. One of the rituals practiced by the tribe’s members is fighting against a lion without weapons. Their homes are made of mud, branches, and cow dung.
“The Great Migration”
One of the most exciting natural phenomena that occur in this safari is the great migration. Millions of animals embark on a difficult and exhausting journey of about 30,000 km to the other side of the safari located in Tanzania named “Serengeti.” During the journey, the animals are expected to encounter many obstacles, the largest of which is the Mara River. Hippopotamuses and alligators lurk in the river and it is surrounded by lions and other predatory animals waiting on its banks until the animal herds begin to cross quickly. The weak fall prey even before they reach the land, in addition to the young zebras and young animals that drown in the waters of the river.
The convoy is led by a group of about 200,000 zebras since they have an amazing memory of where places rich with food and drink can be found on the way for the entire convoy.